Tabari (1 passage)

1. Full Dutch translation of Tabari's text

   The explanation of His word, the Exalted: وَلَمَنِ انْتَصَرَ بَعْدَ ظُلْمِهِ فَأُولَئِكَ مَا عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ ("And whoever defends himself after he has been wronged — against them there is no way") (41).

   He, exalted be His mention, says: and whoever defends himself against the one who has wronged him, after that wrong has been done to him, فَأُولَئِكَ مَا عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ ("against them there is no way") — He says: against those who defend themselves there is no way, that is to say: against the one who defends himself against them there is no way to punish them, nor to inflict harm upon them, for they have defended themselves rightfully. And whoever takes his right from the one who owes it to him, and does not transgress thereby, has committed no wrong such that there would be a way against him.

   The scholars of interpretation (ahl al-taʾwīl) differed over what is meant by this. Some of them said: by this is meant everyone who defends himself against the one who has wronged him, whether the one who did the wrong was a Muslim or an unbeliever.

   * Mention of those who said that:

   Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Bazīʿ related to me, saying: Muʿādh related to us, saying: Ibn ʿAwn related to us, saying: I used to ask about defending oneself, وَلَمَنِ انْتَصَرَ بَعْدَ ظُلْمِهِ ("and whoever defends himself after he has been wronged") ... the verse. Then ʿAlī ibn Zayd ibn Judʿān related to me, on the authority of Umm Muḥammad, the wife of his father — Ibn ʿAwn said: it is claimed that she used to enter into the presence of the Mother of the Believers — she said: the Mother of the Believers said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ entered, and with us was Zaynab bint Jaḥsh. He began to do something with his hand and paid no attention to her; I gestured with his hand until I drew his attention to her, and he stopped. Zaynab began to attack ʿĀʾisha, and he forbade her, but she refused to stop. Then he said to ʿĀʾisha: "Revile her." So she reviled her, overcame her, and Zaynab departed and went to ʿAlī and said: ʿĀʾisha attacks you all and does such and such to you. Then Fāṭima came, and he said to her: "She is the beloved of your father, by the Lord of the Kaʿba." She returned and said to ʿAlī: I said to him this and that, and he said this and that. He said: and ʿAlī came to the Prophet ﷺ and spoke with him about that.

   Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: وَلَمَنِ انْتَصَرَ بَعْدَ ظُلْمِهِ ("and whoever defends himself after he has been wronged") ... the verse; he said: this concerns the scratching (al-khamsh) that occurs among people.

   Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: وَلَمَنِ انْتَصَرَ بَعْدَ ظُلْمِهِ فَأُولَئِكَ مَا عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ ("and whoever defends himself after he has been wronged — against them there is no way"); he said: this concerns what occurs among people of retaliation (qiṣāṣ). But if a man wrongs you, it is not permitted to you to wrong him.

   And others said: rather, by this is meant defending oneself against the people of polytheism (ahl al-shirk), and he said: this is abrogated (mansūkh).

   * Mention of those who said that:

   Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said, concerning His word: وَلَمَنِ انْتَصَرَ بَعْدَ ظُلْمِهِ فَأُولَئِكَ مَا عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ ("and whoever defends himself after he has been wronged — against them there is no way"); he said: it concerns him who defends himself after he has been wronged, among the believers who defended themselves against the polytheists (mushrikīn), and this has already been abrogated. This does not apply to the people of Islam, but for the people of Islam there applies what Allah, blessed and exalted is He, has said: ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ ("Repel with that which is better, and behold, the one between whom and you there was enmity will be as though he were an intimate friend").

   And the correct view is to say: by this is meant everyone who defends himself against the one who wronged him, and that the verse is firmly established (muḥkam) and not abrogated, for the reason I have set forth concerning the preceding verse.

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   Footnotes:

   (3) In al-Nihāya of Ibn al-Athīr it occurs in the narration of ʿĀʾisha: "Zaynab began (tuqaḥḥim la-hā) to attack her," that is to say: she set herself to reviling her and to pressing in upon her with it; as though she began to revile her without deliberation and without certainty.

   (4) By al-khamsh (the scratching) is meant: that which is below killing and blood-money (diya) of cutting off, mutilation, wounding, striking, robbery, and the like — among the kinds of harm in which there is no retaliation (qiṣāṣ) (see al-Nihāya of Ibn al-Athīr).

   Show original Arabic

   القول في تأويل قوله تعالى : وَلَمَنِ انْتَصَرَ بَعْدَ ظُلْمِهِ فَأُولَئِكَ مَا عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ (41) يقول تعالى ذكره: ولمن انتصر ممن ظلمه ممن بعد ظلمه إياه (فَأُولَئِكَ مَا عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ) يقول: فأولئك المنتصرون منهم لا سبيل للمنتصر منهم عليهم بعقوبة لا أذى, لأنهم انتصروا منهم بحقّ, ومن أخذ حقه ممن وجب ذلك له عليه, ولم يتعد, لم يظلم, فيكون عليه سبيل. وقد اختلف أهل التأويل في المعنيّ بذلك, فقال بعضهم: عني به كلّ منتصر ممن أساء إليه, مسلما كان المسيء أو كافرا. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني محمد بن عبد الله بن بزيع, قال: ثنا معاذ, قال: ثنا ابن عون, قال: كنت أسأل عن الانتصار (وَلَمَنِ انْتَصَرَ بَعْدَ ظُلْمِهِ). .. الآية, فحدثني علي بن زيد بن جدعان, عن أمّ محمد امرأة أبيه, قال ابن عون: زعموا أنها كانت تدخل على أمّ المؤمنين قالت: قالت أم المؤمنين: دخل رسول الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم, وعندنا زينب بنت جحش, فجعل يصنع بيده شيئا, ولم يفطن لها, فقلت بيده حتى فطَّنته لها, فأمسك, وأقبلت زينب تقحم (3) عائشة, فنهاها, فأبت أن تنتهي, فقال لعائشة: " سُبيها " فسبتها وغلبتها وانطلقت زينب فأتت عليا, فقالت: إن عائشة تقع بكم وتفعل بكم, فجاءت فاطمة, فقال لها: " إنها حبة أبيك وربّ الكعبة ", فانصرفت وقالت لعليّ: إني قلت له كذا وكذا, فقال كذا وكذا; قال: وجاء عليّ إلى النبيّ صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم فكلَّمه في ذلك. حدثنا بشر, قال: ثنا يزيد, قال: ثنا سعيد, عن قتادة, قوله: (وَلَمَنِ انْتَصَرَ بَعْدَ ظُلْمِهِ)... الآية, قال: هذا في الخمش (4) يكون بين الناس. حدثنا ابن عبد الأعلى, قال: ثنا ابن ثور, عن معمر, عن قتادة, في قوله: (وَلَمَنِ انْتَصَرَ بَعْدَ ظُلْمِهِ فَأُولَئِكَ مَا عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ) قال: هذا فيما يكون بين الناس من القصاص, فأما لو ظلمك رجل لم يحلّ لك أن تظلمه. وقال آخرون: بل عُنِيَ به الانتصار من أهل الشرك, وقال: هذا منسوخ. * ذكر من قال ذلك: حدثني يونس, قال: أخبرنا ابن وهب, قال: قال ابن زيد, في قوله: (وَلَمَنِ انْتَصَرَ بَعْدَ ظُلْمِهِ فَأُولَئِكَ مَا عَلَيْهِمْ مِنْ سَبِيلٍ) قال: لمن انتصر بعد ظلمه من المؤمنين انتصر من المشركين وهذا قد نسخ, وليس هذا في أهل الإسلام, ولكن في أهل الإسلام الذي قال الله تبارك وتعالى: ادْفَعْ بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ فَإِذَا الَّذِي بَيْنَكَ وَبَيْنَهُ عَدَاوَةٌ كَأَنَّهُ وَلِيٌّ حَمِيمٌ . والصواب من القول أن يقال: إنه معنيّ به كل منتصر من ظالمه, وأن الآية محكمة غير منسوخة للعلة التي بينت في الآية قبلها. -------------------- الهوامش : (3) في النهاية لابن الأثير في حديث عائشة : أقبلت زينب تقحم لها ، أي تتعرض لشتمها ، وتدخل عليها فيه ؛ كأنها أقبلت تشتمها من غير روية ولا تثبت . (4) المقصود بالخمش : ما كان دون القتل والدية من قطع أو جدع أو جرح أو ضرب أو نهب ونحو ذلك . من أنواع الأذى التي لا قصاص فيها ( انظر النهاية لابن الأثير ) .